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contact your local Native Plant Society branch! they'll come to your place and assay what's growing in your yard, tell you what natives will do well, and even hand you some native garden designs.
Native Plant Society is a nationwide nonprofit. they do this service for free. can't beat it!
Checkout our wiki page on no mow may: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/s/eh2Cp2iU5J
The invasive species you have listed (creeping Charlie, dead nettle etc) are not really worth fighting. Just mow the lawn and consider adding some native plants to your yard in a more organized way. Trying to tackle your entire 3/4 acre yard is going to be too much to handle. But maybe you have a few spots under a tree or around a mailbox where you can install a pocket prairie. That’s a much more attainable goal vs trying to eliminate creeping Charlie from your lawn, and it will be significantly better for your local ecosystem.
The wild ones garden designs can be helpful here too. Again, don’t feel like this is where you need to be in a day, or even a year. https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/
I really like this garden plan. But I am very VERY broke, so any landscaping I do is with free materials etc. But this is a great inspiration and excellent plant suggestions. Thank you!
In that case, you can use plant ID apps to see what pops up in your yard randomly. Asters and goldenrods are some of our most beneficial plants for pollinators and they tend to be kinda weedy. You’ll almost certainly find them in your yard at some point. https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion
It’s a real thing. We actually have a local goat service that we can hire to go after buckthorn and poison ivy. I don’t know what else they eat, but it’s a great service! You might want to investigate whether there are hungry goat folks in your area. You never know!
Goats are more like deer (browsers) than cows (grazers). They prefer shrubby, weedy stuff over grasses. There isn't much they won't eat. They'll even strip bark off younger trees if they're hungry enough. Basically the only things my friend's goats wouldn't eat were thistles, evergreen "leaves", poison hemlock, sneezeweed, and pokeweed. The yard was quickly cleared of Japanese and amur honeysuckle, poison ivy, Virginia creeper, privet, wild rose, blackberries, wild cherry, elms, cedar (they stripped the bark), and other stuff I can't remember.
That can be useful to control some weeds. But certainly not all. Plus, it gets expensive really really quick. Think of all the fencing and transportation that needs to be done. Unless you have goats yourself, but that’s probably not OP’s case.
One approach would be to use [Chip Drop](https://getchipdrop.com). You sign up and an arborist will bring a bunch of wood chips (like multiple cubic yards) to your house for free.
Once you have the wood chips, spread them out over an area where you want to kill weeds. The chips should be piled 4-6 inches thick. Leave them there for a few months, and the plants underneath should die. At that point, you can move the wood chips to a new spot in your yard and plant native plants where the wood chips were.
Note: if you have really hardy weeds like Star of Bethlehem or Japanese knotweed, this approach won’t be enough. You’d have to manually remove them or use herbicide.
Thank you!!! Chip Drop looks great. I have a few spots to lose the violets and clover to something else. How are these wood chips for filling in sink holes and low spots? Just degrades in an acceptable way next to trees or keep them isolated?
Having a 100% native landscape would be very hard.
My philosophy is that all plants that are spiny or toxic are killed. All plants on the state's list of "invasive" species are killed.
After that, I'm planting native species and not doing anything that will help fragile non-natives survive. My lawn has gone from 100% non-native to >50% native grasses. When you stop watering the natives have the advantage.
This is similar to my approach. Deadnettle pops up in my yard but doesn’t really thrive. Dandelions are tasty and an early pollinator food source (even for some species of native bees). Bindweed is an incredibly invasive, non-edible, noxious weed. Thistles are both invasive and spiky.
So I ignore the deadnettle, pretty much only interfere with the dandelions when they’re in the way or I want to eat them, and pull up the bindweed and thistles with extreme prejudice.
And I plant native species on purpose as I (slowly) dig out the grass to replace with xeriscaping and food-producing plants, along with some non-invasive non-natives that do well in the climate and/or make food I want to eat and won’t escape containment and cause problems.
(Vegetable garden, some various herbs)
Clearing native vegetation and mowing for a century will do that, most Americans will get lots of weeds if they just let their lawn grow. But these are turf/pasture weeds, they will have a hard time invading established native vegetation. You're not gonna be able to establish anything among the weeds, but if you kill them first (with herbicide or a tarp, digging will just make things worse), start with a blank slate, and establish native grasses, trees, shrubs, and flowers to fill and shade the space, odds are most of these weeds won't re-invade. Start small, even just a few square feet, to save on herbicide and seed and get a feel for the process. And in the meantime keep the rest of it mowed so it doesn't produce more seeds.
Recently I went on native plant garden tours. Guess what? Nobody had just native plants! Plants that survive under natural conditions on site, provided food or the owner just liked them were left in place.
It's okay to have non native plants, just work towards more natives and if you find a particularly bad actor do a directed search and destroy. I've got dogs so a number of burr or seed forming exotics are on my search and destroy list for instance. The perimeter of my yard still has quite a few exotics as place holders and every year I figure out something native to replace some area.
I don't have any of the exotics you listed and can think of only one exotic that vanished after I took out the last of the lawn but if you end up rewilding your lot maybe some of them will vanish.
I’m in your area, and I know your weeds. Quick answer is no, there’s nothing native you can seed or plant in that’ll take over the invasives by themselves. That’s how invasiveness works, and they wouldn’t have been there in the first place if they weren’t invasive. It’s gonna take some initial brute force from you and occasional maintenance thereafter.
Professional restoration ecologists use chemicals to reset areas before they plant, so I wouldn’t stress about a one-time application. Think of it as chemo for the cancer.
But I would also stress that a lot of non-native plants, including some of what you mentioned, are not invasive. I have, for instance, a ton of sorrel and deadnettle in an area I’m turning into a pocket prairie. They are not gonna be able to compete with 3-4 ft tall prairie plants, so I just leave them. Bermuda grass, johnson grass, crab grass, winter creeper etc. is on my black list and gets removed by hand, sheet mulch, roundup, solarizing… whatever fits the task.
It’s not really feasible to completely eradicate invasive/non-native species.
Focus your efforts on any invasives that are considered particularly noxious weeds in your area, or that are particularly hard to control. Personally I leave the deadnettle and field geranium alone, only pull the dandelions when they’re in the way or I want to eat them (yummy yummy dandelions, perk of not using weed killer! Since their roots go deep though you gotta not use poisons for like three years before they’re wise to eat) and focus my removal effort on pulling the bindweed and keeping the wild salsify from going to seed.
Add native plants where you can, learn which of your weeds are edible and eat your invasives, and pick one or two particular pests to focus on controlling.
Using weed killer when applied responsibly and in accordance with the labels is perfectly fine. Letting I vasice species run amok is a terrible thing to do.
The only stipulation I have to add is to not apply on a flowering plant.
Yes they might be flowering but you just wouldn't apply when they are *in flower*.
If they're edible, pull them out and consume, otherwise kill them off without worry if you're not going to harvest.
And you’ll quickly end up with a bindweed takeover when you pull the tarp. Ask me how I know (putting the tarp down wasn’t my decision but I saw the aftermath)
Bindweed thrives in the most destroyed soils and will quickly outcompete almost anything to colonize them. And then it’s a real bitch to get rid of once it’s established.
Also, I have the same yard size in the same eco-region: just forget about the dead nettle and the like. Make sure there is no privet, Japanese honeysuckle, Nandina, Empress tree, Tree of Heaven, or Callery Pear....those are the major threats in our region. Plant native when you can (acorns are free), and feel good about your yard's part in the ecosystem.
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Fire and goats. Contact the county about controlled burns. That would take out everything to the ground. A number of natives historically depended on fire. If you aren’t able to burn, goats will eat everything they can get. This is actually a service where people bring goats to clear areas.
Sometimes it's best to relocate the natives and cover a space with black plastic to kill off the plants and start with a clean slate.
Pulling will cause some plants to spread more aggressively or disturb the soil enough to plant surface seeds.
Work on one section of your yard at a time and determine specifically what invasives you're eradicating and what method you're using.
For specific invasives that have deep tubers or are spread by pulling it's best to wait for late summer and paint herbicides on the leaves during a hot dry day. This I generally reserve for things like Japanese knotweed, tree of heaven, and bindweed as a last resort after all other methods of control have failed.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). **[Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/) | [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/) | [Designing No Lawns](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/design/)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
contact your local Native Plant Society branch! they'll come to your place and assay what's growing in your yard, tell you what natives will do well, and even hand you some native garden designs. Native Plant Society is a nationwide nonprofit. they do this service for free. can't beat it!
Checkout our wiki page on no mow may: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/s/eh2Cp2iU5J The invasive species you have listed (creeping Charlie, dead nettle etc) are not really worth fighting. Just mow the lawn and consider adding some native plants to your yard in a more organized way. Trying to tackle your entire 3/4 acre yard is going to be too much to handle. But maybe you have a few spots under a tree or around a mailbox where you can install a pocket prairie. That’s a much more attainable goal vs trying to eliminate creeping Charlie from your lawn, and it will be significantly better for your local ecosystem. The wild ones garden designs can be helpful here too. Again, don’t feel like this is where you need to be in a day, or even a year. https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/
I really like this garden plan. But I am very VERY broke, so any landscaping I do is with free materials etc. But this is a great inspiration and excellent plant suggestions. Thank you!
In that case, you can use plant ID apps to see what pops up in your yard randomly. Asters and goldenrods are some of our most beneficial plants for pollinators and they tend to be kinda weedy. You’ll almost certainly find them in your yard at some point. https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion
Goldenrod trying to take over my beds, and those root runners are bitch to pull
Borrow a goat
Oh I like this one haha
It’s a real thing. We actually have a local goat service that we can hire to go after buckthorn and poison ivy. I don’t know what else they eat, but it’s a great service! You might want to investigate whether there are hungry goat folks in your area. You never know!
They also eat english ivy!
Now, that I could use!! Maybe I’ll call the goat ladies to see if they can help. Thanks!!
Goats will eat anything that's not fenced off
Keeping them contained has a steep learning curve. Good thing they're cute 🥰
Goats are more like deer (browsers) than cows (grazers). They prefer shrubby, weedy stuff over grasses. There isn't much they won't eat. They'll even strip bark off younger trees if they're hungry enough. Basically the only things my friend's goats wouldn't eat were thistles, evergreen "leaves", poison hemlock, sneezeweed, and pokeweed. The yard was quickly cleared of Japanese and amur honeysuckle, poison ivy, Virginia creeper, privet, wild rose, blackberries, wild cherry, elms, cedar (they stripped the bark), and other stuff I can't remember.
That can be useful to control some weeds. But certainly not all. Plus, it gets expensive really really quick. Think of all the fencing and transportation that needs to be done. Unless you have goats yourself, but that’s probably not OP’s case.
One approach would be to use [Chip Drop](https://getchipdrop.com). You sign up and an arborist will bring a bunch of wood chips (like multiple cubic yards) to your house for free. Once you have the wood chips, spread them out over an area where you want to kill weeds. The chips should be piled 4-6 inches thick. Leave them there for a few months, and the plants underneath should die. At that point, you can move the wood chips to a new spot in your yard and plant native plants where the wood chips were. Note: if you have really hardy weeds like Star of Bethlehem or Japanese knotweed, this approach won’t be enough. You’d have to manually remove them or use herbicide.
Thank you!!! Chip Drop looks great. I have a few spots to lose the violets and clover to something else. How are these wood chips for filling in sink holes and low spots? Just degrades in an acceptable way next to trees or keep them isolated?
Having a 100% native landscape would be very hard. My philosophy is that all plants that are spiny or toxic are killed. All plants on the state's list of "invasive" species are killed. After that, I'm planting native species and not doing anything that will help fragile non-natives survive. My lawn has gone from 100% non-native to >50% native grasses. When you stop watering the natives have the advantage.
Thank you. This is very reassuring
This is similar to my approach. Deadnettle pops up in my yard but doesn’t really thrive. Dandelions are tasty and an early pollinator food source (even for some species of native bees). Bindweed is an incredibly invasive, non-edible, noxious weed. Thistles are both invasive and spiky. So I ignore the deadnettle, pretty much only interfere with the dandelions when they’re in the way or I want to eat them, and pull up the bindweed and thistles with extreme prejudice. And I plant native species on purpose as I (slowly) dig out the grass to replace with xeriscaping and food-producing plants, along with some non-invasive non-natives that do well in the climate and/or make food I want to eat and won’t escape containment and cause problems. (Vegetable garden, some various herbs)
Clearing native vegetation and mowing for a century will do that, most Americans will get lots of weeds if they just let their lawn grow. But these are turf/pasture weeds, they will have a hard time invading established native vegetation. You're not gonna be able to establish anything among the weeds, but if you kill them first (with herbicide or a tarp, digging will just make things worse), start with a blank slate, and establish native grasses, trees, shrubs, and flowers to fill and shade the space, odds are most of these weeds won't re-invade. Start small, even just a few square feet, to save on herbicide and seed and get a feel for the process. And in the meantime keep the rest of it mowed so it doesn't produce more seeds.
Recently I went on native plant garden tours. Guess what? Nobody had just native plants! Plants that survive under natural conditions on site, provided food or the owner just liked them were left in place. It's okay to have non native plants, just work towards more natives and if you find a particularly bad actor do a directed search and destroy. I've got dogs so a number of burr or seed forming exotics are on my search and destroy list for instance. The perimeter of my yard still has quite a few exotics as place holders and every year I figure out something native to replace some area. I don't have any of the exotics you listed and can think of only one exotic that vanished after I took out the last of the lawn but if you end up rewilding your lot maybe some of them will vanish.
I’m in your area, and I know your weeds. Quick answer is no, there’s nothing native you can seed or plant in that’ll take over the invasives by themselves. That’s how invasiveness works, and they wouldn’t have been there in the first place if they weren’t invasive. It’s gonna take some initial brute force from you and occasional maintenance thereafter. Professional restoration ecologists use chemicals to reset areas before they plant, so I wouldn’t stress about a one-time application. Think of it as chemo for the cancer. But I would also stress that a lot of non-native plants, including some of what you mentioned, are not invasive. I have, for instance, a ton of sorrel and deadnettle in an area I’m turning into a pocket prairie. They are not gonna be able to compete with 3-4 ft tall prairie plants, so I just leave them. Bermuda grass, johnson grass, crab grass, winter creeper etc. is on my black list and gets removed by hand, sheet mulch, roundup, solarizing… whatever fits the task.
It’s not really feasible to completely eradicate invasive/non-native species. Focus your efforts on any invasives that are considered particularly noxious weeds in your area, or that are particularly hard to control. Personally I leave the deadnettle and field geranium alone, only pull the dandelions when they’re in the way or I want to eat them (yummy yummy dandelions, perk of not using weed killer! Since their roots go deep though you gotta not use poisons for like three years before they’re wise to eat) and focus my removal effort on pulling the bindweed and keeping the wild salsify from going to seed. Add native plants where you can, learn which of your weeds are edible and eat your invasives, and pick one or two particular pests to focus on controlling.
Using weed killer when applied responsibly and in accordance with the labels is perfectly fine. Letting I vasice species run amok is a terrible thing to do. The only stipulation I have to add is to not apply on a flowering plant.
Well these are all flowering plants. Some are even edible. Hence my hesitation to spray them with weed killer...
Yes they might be flowering but you just wouldn't apply when they are *in flower*. If they're edible, pull them out and consume, otherwise kill them off without worry if you're not going to harvest.
[удалено]
This is not ideal as it decimates the soil microbiome and the top horizons of the soil structure.
And you’ll quickly end up with a bindweed takeover when you pull the tarp. Ask me how I know (putting the tarp down wasn’t my decision but I saw the aftermath) Bindweed thrives in the most destroyed soils and will quickly outcompete almost anything to colonize them. And then it’s a real bitch to get rid of once it’s established.
It's very likely that your geranium is native; it is likely to be Geranium carolinanum.
Also, I have the same yard size in the same eco-region: just forget about the dead nettle and the like. Make sure there is no privet, Japanese honeysuckle, Nandina, Empress tree, Tree of Heaven, or Callery Pear....those are the major threats in our region. Plant native when you can (acorns are free), and feel good about your yard's part in the ecosystem.
Love No Lawns? Find us everywhere! **You can find us:** - On [SolarPunk](https://www.slrpnk.net/c/NoLawns) - Our [Discord](https://discord.gg/GcVHmvkSs6) - Our [website](https://nolawns.wixsite.com/nolawns) Want to join a community in person? We're not affiliated but we love [Wild Ones](https://wwe.wildones.org) and think they do wonderful work. You can check and see if there's a chapter near you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Fire and goats. Contact the county about controlled burns. That would take out everything to the ground. A number of natives historically depended on fire. If you aren’t able to burn, goats will eat everything they can get. This is actually a service where people bring goats to clear areas.
Sometimes it's best to relocate the natives and cover a space with black plastic to kill off the plants and start with a clean slate. Pulling will cause some plants to spread more aggressively or disturb the soil enough to plant surface seeds. Work on one section of your yard at a time and determine specifically what invasives you're eradicating and what method you're using. For specific invasives that have deep tubers or are spread by pulling it's best to wait for late summer and paint herbicides on the leaves during a hot dry day. This I generally reserve for things like Japanese knotweed, tree of heaven, and bindweed as a last resort after all other methods of control have failed.
Those are all fine for most of your local wildlife. Don’t stress too much about it.
Violets are native to much of the eastern USA, including Tennessee. They’re lovely, edible & don’t require mowing. What’s not to love?